Chapter 495: Spirit Land Ownership

A stir in the Nine Provinces

In mid-air, Jiang Chengzi's figure appeared, his face filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected his concealment technique to be so easily thwarted.

It wasn't exactly thwarted; his opponent had been incredibly lucky. Nine spirit implements attacked haphazardly, almost striking him and forcing him to counterattack.

Just as he parried the streak of light from the spirit implement, his vision suddenly dimmed. He looked up to see a fox-faced figure with a sharp nose and slanted eyes staring sinisterly at him.

A flash of blade light, and a sudden sense of alarm surged within him. Jiang Chengzi quickly raised his short blade to parry the incoming attack.

With a clang, Jiang Chengzi immediately felt the same shock his brother had experienced. His heart pounded with dread. What was this furious power?

Successive flashes of blade light descended like a raging storm.

Jiang Chengzi’s body plummeted continuously. In just five breaths, he crashed to the ground like a meteor falling from the sky.

The earth trembled, and a crater instantly appeared. In the crater lay Jiang Chengzi, grimacing, his arms feeling shattered, every part of his body aching.

He was indeed a Ghost Cultivator, and his direct combat ability was inferior to that of a Weapon Cultivator. But he was still a fifth-level Cloud River Realm Ghost Cultivator!

It was simply unacceptable to be suppressed so easily by a third-level Cloud River Realm opponent.

The oppressive aura of death loomed, and he quickly yelled, "I surrender!"

The gleaming blade stopped before his forehead, its sharp tip pressed against his skin. A one-inch blade-glow flickered like a snake's tongue, tearing his skin and drawing crimson blood.

Jiang Chengzi broke out in a cold sweat. If he hadn't surrendered so quickly, he might have truly died.

His brother was an unyielding Sword Cultivator, who would rather die than give in. But as a Ghost Cultivator, he didn't have such strong convictions. Surrendering was embarrassing, but it was better than losing his life. He was only hired to fight; there was no need to fight to the death.

Lu Ye sheathed his blade.

Jiang Chengzi quickly got up and flew into the sky.

"Oh, my..." On the Spirit Peak, the fourth-level female Spell Cultivator watched with wide eyes.

Lu Ye had dispatched the opposing Ghost Cultivator so swiftly and decisively, which she had never expected. Although Lu Ye had already demonstrated his strength in the previous fight, dealing with a Ghost Cultivator wasn't just about being strong enough.

Many heroes in the Nine Provinces had fallen to Ghost Cultivators due to a moment's carelessness. The Ghost Cultivator faction killed without rhyme or reason.

Earlier, when she saw Jiang Chengzi conceal himself, she had been worried for Lu Ye. Yet, this battle ended so quickly.

Comparing her fellow disciples with Ye Liu, she felt her companions were utterly weak!

On the opposite Spirit Peak, the ninth-level young man gazed at Lu Ye in the valley, his brow furrowed.

Not far from him, a fifth-level Body Cultivator had not yet entered the fray. But upon witnessing Lu Ye's displayed power, he knew that even if he sent this Body Cultivator out, it would only be for them to take a beating, with no chance of victory.

He looked up towards the opposite Spirit Peak: "You've won this round."

Since there was no chance, there was no need to humiliate himself. He had originally thought that with the Jiang brothers, Jiang Liuzi and Jiang Chengzi, he had a sure victory, but he never expected his opponent to bring someone even more formidable.

Who on earth was this guy?

The young man was filled with curiosity.

"So, a free-for-all then?" Xia Qianqian asked.

The young man replied, "How many of us can still fight now?"

They had initially planned for a series of duels, then a free-for-all, and finally a match between the two ninth-level cultivators – a best two out of three, fair and just. But after the duels, of the ten people from both sides, only four or five were still able to fight; the rest were seriously injured.

Moreover, if it came to a free-for-all, the young man felt his side had a very slim chance of winning. Their strongest, Jiang Liuzi, was still unconscious, while the opponent's strongest, the fox-faced one, was full of vigor. Although Jiang Chengzi could still fight, he had just lost to the opponent, and his morale was gone. Sending him back out would likely not yield much strength.

"What do you say, then?"

"Let's fight, you and I," the young man responded calmly.

"I think you're looking for a beating!" As her words fell, Xia Qianqian's figure appeared in the valley, standing beside Lu Ye. "You go back first. I'll teach him a lesson!"

Lu Ye nodded and flew silently toward their Spirit Peak.

Before he even landed, intense sounds of combat erupted from behind. Xia Qianqian was a Spell Cultivator, and the young man opposite her was also a Spell Cultivator. Their cultivation levels were equal, making them perfectly matched opponents. In the valley, their figures moved constantly, powerful spells clashing back and forth, leaving the entire valley in ruins.

Lu Ye watched quietly. Watching others fight was often interesting; one could learn how others resolved crises and found opportune moments to attack opponents.

As he watched intently, he suddenly felt something and looked down, meeting a pair of beautiful eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

The female Spell Cultivator quickly shook her head: "No, it's just... you're so amazing!"

Lu Ye nodded slightly: "I know!"

Female Spell Cultivator: "?"

The battle between the two ninth-level Spell Cultivators was fierce and spectacular, but after watching for a while, Lu Ye couldn't tell who was stronger. He felt they were evenly matched, and the fight would likely end in a draw.

If that were the case, a free-for-all would still be necessary.

The female Spell Cultivator beside him apparently realized this as well. She leaned close to Lu Ye and whispered, "Junior Brother, if we need to step in later, please protect me."

Under the fox mask, Lu Ye's gaze shifted slightly downwards.

"No problem!"

"Junior Brother, you're so kind." The female Spell Cultivator beamed.

Amber, crouching on Lu Ye's shoulder, growled softly at her. She reached out to tease it, but Amber unexpectedly bit her. Though it didn't draw blood, it hurt enough for her to cry out, her face full of grievance.

As they spoke, the battle in the valley somehow ceased. The two figures stood facing each other from a distance.

The young man said, "The spirit land is yours!" Although he hadn't lost this round, he didn't bring up the free-for-all again, because his chances of winning were genuinely slim. Forcing a free-for-all would only be a humiliation.

"At least you're sensible!" Xia Qianqian snorted.

The young man's gaze swept past Xia Qianqian, glanced at Lu Ye on the Spirit Peak, and then he turned and flew off. Moments later, a spirit boat soared into the sky and quickly disappeared from sight.

When Xia Qianqian returned, the female Spell Cultivator cheered and ran to meet her: "Sister, you're amazing."

Xia Qianqian shook her head: "I didn't win."

It was a draw.

"Fellow Daoist Xia, since matters here are resolved, I'll take my leave," Lu Ye stepped forward.

"No rush. I'll take you to see the spirit land," Xia Qianqian said, summoning a flying spirit implement. She put the injured on it and called out to Lu Ye, "Let's go."

Lu Ye quickly followed.

The spirit land was not far from there, located on a Spirit Peak.

Upon arrival, everyone disembarked in sequence.

Lu Ye looked around and saw a spirit spring gushing with spiritual energy. After a brief sensation, he found that this spirit land was similar to his previous one—both were only Class C spirit lands, and not very large in scale.

"If you're willing to stay, the five of you can occupy this spirit land perfectly. Although it's only a Class C spirit land, it's still quite good and can meet your current cultivation needs," Xia Qianqian stated.

For a small spirit land like this, five people was the ideal number. It wasn't that it couldn't accommodate more, but if there were too many, the spiritual energy gushing from the spring wouldn't be sufficient.

Moreover, with five people working together, the defensive capabilities of the spirit land would be well-secured, enough to handle most situations.

Furthermore, if Lu Ye were to reside here, it would be better than several fifth-level cultivators, so Xia Qianqian sincerely hoped he would stay.

However, she didn't know if Lu Ye would be willing. Any other third-level Cloud River Realm cultivator would surely jump at such a good offer. But Lu Ye was no ordinary third-level Cloud River Realm cultivator. Given his mastery of array formations, if he truly wanted to cultivate in a spirit land, as long as there was a spot in anything below Class B, no one should refuse him.

"I still need to find one of my junior brothers. I appreciate your kindness," Lu Ye politely declined.

Xia Qianqian didn't press the issue: "Then please help us set up some array formations."

Lu Ye looked at her speechlessly. He had thought that since everything was resolved, she wouldn't insist on bringing him here. It turned out she wanted him to do some work.

"I'll need array flags and array foundations!"

Lu Ye didn't mind helping set up the formations; it wouldn't take much effort anyway. But he wouldn't supply the materials. For a defensive grand array alone, the foundations were valuable. If other formations were also needed, numerous array flags would also be a considerable expense.

"I've bought them," Xia Qianqian said, unhooking a storage bag from her waist and tossing it to Lu Ye.

When she went to the Heavenly Mystery Merchant Alliance to find Lu Ye earlier, she had specifically bought a set of defensive grand array foundations and numerous array flags, precisely for this moment.

With others so thoroughly prepared, what else could Lu Ye say?

He opened the storage bag and inventoried its contents, finding that the defensive grand array Xia Qianqian bought was not the highest grade, but a slightly lesser one, with only eight array foundations.

Honestly, for such a small spirit land, an eight-foundation defensive grand array was sufficient; there was no need for anything too elaborate. The sixteen-foundation defensive grand array Lu Ye had set up in his own spirit land had been forcibly breached, and its foundations completely destroyed, resulting in a loss of over ten thousand merit points.

The injured were healing, Xia Qianqian was cultivating, and Lu Ye was busy setting up the formations. As for the female Spell Cultivator, she kept trailing Lu Ye, showering him with praises and adoration, occasionally acting coy, clearly hoping Lu Ye would stay.

After all, having such a powerful person around would provide a greater sense of security.

This provoked Amber to reveal its true form and, catching her off guard, pounce on her, opening its jaws wide and roaring at her. The female Spell Cultivator was so frightened that her face turned pale, and only then did she dare not approach Lu Ye.

He spent an entire day diligently working, setting up a defensive array, a concealment array, and an alarm array, and finally, several killing arrays within the spirit land.

He found Xia Qianqian, informed her of the locations of the various arrays, handed her the jade slips for controlling the arrays, and demonstrated their operation. Only then was the work complete.